Woody Allen marries Soon-Yi in Venice

December 24, 1997
Web posted at: 12:53 p.m. EST (1753 GMT)

VENICE, Italy (CNN) -- Ending a controversial
years-long tryst, Woody Allen has married Soon-Yi Previn, who
is 35 years younger than he and is the adopted daughter of
his former lover, actress Mia Farrow.

Allen, 62, and Previn, 27, were married at the city-owned
Palazzo Cavalli in Venice, Mayor Massimo Cacciari confirmed
Wednesday. Cacciari, a longtime Allen acquaintance,
conducted the ceremony in the wedding salon, a room set aside
for civil weddings.

A few close friends and family members attended. Allen and
Previn wore street clothes rather than wedding attire.

The pair was able to enter the Palazzo without fanfare,
because the building has only one entrance -- on a canal
accessible only by boat. Because non-Italians are not
required to publish wedding announcements, there was
no prior notice in Italy that Allen and Previn planned to
marry.

Farrow and conductor Andre Previn, while on a trip to Korea,
adopted Soon-Yi when she was about 8 years old.

Farrow later dated Allen for more than a decade and starred in many of his films. She discovered his relationship with her daughter after finding nude pictures of the girl, then 21, in Allen's apartment.

Allen

The affair between Allen and Previn became fodder for the
tabloids when it went public in 1992.

Farrow later filed for custody of Satchel -- Farrow and
Allen's natural son -- and daughter Dylan, whom they adopted.
Farrow accused Allen of fondling Dylan during the custody
case. The Oscar-winning director was cleared of all charges,
but was barred from visiting the children without a monitor.
Farrow later changed the children's names.

Allen's spokeswoman, Leslee Dart, issued a statement saying:
"Six years ago, Woody and Soon-Yi decided that one day they
would come back to Venice and get married. That city is very
meaningful to them. Over the past six years, they have
weathered a lot together, and have always been very much in
love."

Previn is to receive a master's degree in special education
from Columbia University in the spring. Allen, the winner of
three Oscars, released the movie "Deconstructing Harry" two
weeks ago.